Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and Human rights lawyer, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, if the army chief fails to voluntarily resign following the revelation of his properties in Dubai worth $1.5 million.

Falana in a statement on Sunday, said that despite Buratai’s commendable feat of leading the Nigerian Army to defeat Boko Haram in the North East, the war on corruption was also a must-win for the Buhari Administration.

He ‎described the explanation by the Nigerian Army authorities that Buratai paid for the properties in installments through his personal savings as a “cock and bull story”.

Falana wondered how an army General could manage to save $1.5m, expressing disappointment that the name of the Nigerian Army had been “illegally” used to ‎defend Buratai in the unfolding scam.

‎He added, “In view of the ban on the opening and operation of foreign accounts by public officers, the Code of Conduct Bureau should be involved in the investigation.

“If the Chief of Army Staff does not deem it fit to resign forthwith President Buhari should not hesitate to remove him in the interest of national morality.”

Falana also commended the Buhari Administration for how it has handled cases involving military officers allegedly involved ‎in the diversion of the sum of $15 billion meant for procurement of arms; an act that led to the killing of about 25,000 Nigerians and displacement of two million others, including children, by the Boko Haram.

He however added that since the administration had assured Nigerians that there would be no sacred cow in the fight against corruption, Buratai should step down and allow a full scale investigation by the Arms Procurement Panel and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.